Linguists

When a human learns a new word, we're learning to attach that word to a set of concepts in the real world. When a computer "learns" a new word, it is creating some associations between that word and other words it has seen before, which can sometimes give it the appearance of understanding, but it doesn't have that rea

James talks the environment and geopolitics with Noam Chomsky.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks to Emily Bender, Professor of Linguistics, Director of the Masters of Science in Computational Linguistics program, and Director of the Computational Linguistics Laboratory at University of Washington, about her work on artificial intelligence criticism. Bender is also an adjunc

Brynn Quick speaks with best-selling author and linguist Gretchen McCulloch about her 2019 New York Times bestselling book Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language (Riverhead Books, 2020). Gretchen has written a Resident Linguist column at The Toast and Wired. She is also the co-creator of Lingthusiasm

Today’s conversation is with Valerie Fridland. Valerie is a sociolinguist, Professor of Linguistics at the University of Nevada, a researcher and an author. Expect to learn how language has evolved over time, how quickly it is changing, why there is no single correct way to speak, how to communicate more clearly in the

Noam Chomsky is one of the most influential and highly cited scholars of our time. He is a pioneer in the fields of linguistics and cognitive science. He has deep thoughts about communicating with aliens, meditation, Elon Musk, and free speech. Chomsky is a prolific author and known political activist. We avoided polit